This invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an apparatus for installing electrical connectors onto flat conductor cables.
Flat conductor cable has come in to general use in such areas as under-carpet wiring systems. This type of cable carries out the same function as a conventional round wire in distributing electricity to work stations, however, its use does not require underfloor channels, raceways or floor passage holes as does the conventional round wire system. The flat conductor cable is simply laid out on a flat surface, such as the floor, and then carpeting placed over it. The cable is very thin and its presence is not perceivable after the carpeting has been placed over it. The cable itself has a series of parallel flat conductors individually sealed with an insulating jacket which resists moisture, chemicals, object penetration, heat, etc. The cable can have any desired number of conductors, three, four and five parallel strips being common.
Although installation layout flexibility is maximized with the use of such cables since they can be flexed and folded without delaminating, there has not been any easy and quick method of installing connectors to the cable. The tasks of making cable splices and cable taps are particularly laborious with prior art technology. These types of connections generally require unique and complicated kinds of connectors and, in some cases, a number of other special components.
For instance, in one prior art system, splicing of flat conductor cables is accomplished as follows. First, each conductor run in the cable must be torn back along perforations. Then, a special splice connector must be placed over the conductors. This component has an adhesive thereon and a protective covering must be removed from it. An adhesive ridge is then folded over and placed on the cable. The installer then slides a hand tool under the splice ends to crimp a series of individual connector components on the connector assembly in series fashion. In this type of system, a similarly multistep process is carried out in order to make a cable tap. However, the special connectors that are used for cable splicing cannot be used for cable tapping. Another special connector has to be used for this purpose. Still another special connector must be used for transition fittings. As a result, to install a system having a normal range of requirements, an entire inventory of special connectors having widely different configurations must be used.
A second prior art connector system for splicing flat cables is also known. In this second system, a stripper plate is placed over the tap/main junction. The stripper plate has a number of notations where holes should be punched depending upon the job to be done. After the installer determines which holes are appropriate for his job, he then must punch selected holes on the stripper plate with a punch and hammer. The stripper plate is then removed and connectors are installed by hand into the punched holes. The connectors have a hood portion on one side of the junction and a nail portion on the other side. The punch is then used again to bend the hood onto the nail and, then, finally a tool is inserted onto the connector to carry out final crimping.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for installing connectors onto flat conductor cable.
It is another object of the invention to provide a portable installation machine for flat cable connectors.
It is another object of the invention to provide an installation method for flat cable connectors which carries out the complete connection process within one machine.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for rapidly installing connectors on flat conductor cables.
It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus and method for installing connectors on flat conductor cables which are universal to all types of connections including terminal fittings, tap connections, and splice connections.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for installing mechanically strong connections to flat conductor cables.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a machine for installing connectors to flat conductor cable which has full cycle insurance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for installing connectors to flat conductor cable which form a reliable, repeatable connection every time.